Drunk hymns of “Let’s go Texas” and White Stripes’s “Seven Nation Army” flooded a corner of Bryant-Denny Stadium. Horns up amid the haze of burnt orange. Alabama and Texas grew a burgeoning Southeastern Conference rivalry by trading home losses. In hindsight, Steve Sarkisian and the Longhorns made even more history than previously thought.

The 10-point defeat was Saban’s worst loss, at least statistically, that he suffered inside Bryant-Denny; The defeat was one of two blemishes in his last season coaching at Alabama, memorializing Sept. 9, 2023, as a pelt on the wall in Austin as Saban’s final home defeat.

“Just doing something nobody’s done in 20 years, going to Tuscaloosa and beating them by double digits,” tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders told AL.com this week during the NFL scouting combine. “Having the opportunity to do that and the last team that’ll ever do that. It was a great experience.”

Sanders’ timeline is almost correct. Not since Mike Shula in 2004 had an Alabama team lost by 10 points at home before Texas. A big part of the 34-24 final was because of Sanders, who led the Longhorns with five catches and 114 yards from tight end. Quinn Ewers, Adonai Mitchell and Xavier Worthy carried out Sarkisian’s game plan, dicing up the secondary and moving the pocket enough to negate Alabama’s pass rush.

An Alabama offense still searching for consistency faltered. Jalen Milroe threw two interceptions and would later be benched before turning his season around. But against his hometown team, Milroe struggled against a pass rush of two standout prospects in T’Vondre Sweat and Byron Murphy. Wide receiver Jordan Whittington said UT sought “redemption” from a 2022 loss at DKR Stadium.

“It means a lot getting a win down there cause not too many people win in Bama. It’s hard to win. Beating Alabama and Nick Saban, you know, I’ll say that was a big win for me and something I’ll never forget,” Murphy said.

Sarkisian, a former Saban assistant, was among the rumored candidates to replace Saban after he retired. Sarkisian and mega agent Jimmy Sexton — who also represented Saban and eventual hire Kalen DeBoer — negotiated that interest into a contract extension making Sarkisian one of the highest-paid coaches in the game.

Nick Alvarez is a reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @nick_a_alvarez or email him at [email protected].